This invention relates to a table for dental tools, such as a set of instruments and the like, having a receiving part to be placed on a mount with a horizontal bearing surface and, in particular, the invention relates to a table which receives the tools directly or indirectly by way of a tray, and whose outer extreme includes at least, over part of its perimeter a rim with end portion drawn downward relative to the deposition surface of the receiving part.
For the deposition and readiness of dental tools, in particular a set of instruments, the dentist typically uses receiving elements in the form of trays or cassettes which can be deposited in appropriate depressions of special mounts usually installed on support arms, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,957, for example.
Available on the market are two types of trays whose dimensions are standardized, but which differ in size i.e. 285.times.185 mm and 345.times.245 mm. To make it possible for the cutomer to use either one of the trays, the equipment manufactuer must offer mounts for both tray sizes. This, however, means more stock-keeping. If the customer later changes the tray mount, retrofitting costs are involved.
In German Offenlengungsschrift No. 19 53 694 a mount for instrument trays which swivels in a horizontal plane and with a raised edge is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment of the mount, the bearing part receiving the tray is in the form of a horizontal U seen from the side. The lower leg of the U-shaped bearing part is formed as a wide fishplate, while the upper leg comprises a safety element which engages from behind the edge, inserted into the bearing part, of the instrument tray to be received. In one form of realization, this safety element has the form of a pivotably mounted lever which contains several teeth engaging the edge from behind.
Apart from the fact that the conventional construction is suitable solely for the retention of trays with a rim extending upward, the lever arrangement shown there has protruding parts, which not only should be avoided for hygienic reasons but also have the disadvantage that inadvertent actuation may occur and thus the tray may unintentionally disengage from its mount and fall. Furthermore, in this embodiment as well as in the other variations of the embodiment shown herein, particularly in the proposal of fixing the tray by means of a removable stud, the operational handling is relatively complicated so as to not permit engagement and disengagement operation.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a table of the type for dental tools which has no holding or fixing members which protrude and therefore would tend to cause improper operation and where the receiving part, which can receive the tools directly or indirectly by way of a tray or cassette, can be exchanged relatively simply and easily by the user for another receiving part; refer to German p. 1(a)., lines 28-30 e.g. for the purpose of making it easier to prefit, clean or sterilize the receiving part. In fact, one handed operation is possible.